Messerschmitt Bf 109
Summary The Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6/R3 is a single-engined, single-seat monoplane fighter and a German World War II fighter aircraft that was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. From the end of 1941, the Bf 109 was steadily being supplemented by the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. It was commonly called the Me 109, most often by Allied aircrew and among the German aces, even though this was not the official German designation. It was designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser who worked at Bayerische Flugzeugwerke during the early to mid-1930s. It was conceived as an interceptor, although later models were developed to fulfill multiple tasks, serving as bomber escort, fighter-bomber, day-, night-, all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, and reconnaissance aircraft. It was supplied to several states during World War II, and served with several countries for many years after the war. The Bf 109 is the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 airframes produced from 1936 to April 1945. The Bf 109 was flown by the three top-scoring German fighter aces of World War II, who claimed 928 victories among them while flying with Jagdgeschwader 52, mainly on the Eastern Front. The highest-scoring fighter ace of all time was Erich Hartmann, who flew the Bf 109 and was credited with 352 aerial victories. The aircraft was also flown by Hans-Joachim Marseille, the highest-scoring German ace in the North African Campaign who achieved 158 aerial victories. It was also flown by several other aces from Germany's allies, notably Finnish Ilmari Juutilainen, the highest-scoring non-German ace, and pilots from Italy, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Hungary. Through constant development, the Bf 109 remained competitive with the latest Allied fighter aircraft until the end of the war. A significant portion of Bf 109 production originated in Nazi concentration camps, including Flossenbürg, Mauthausen-Gusen, and Buchenwald. Powers and Stats Tier: 9-C with machine guns, 9-B with cannons, 9-A with rockets, up to 8-C with bombs Name: Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6/R3 Origin: The Real World Classification: Fighter-bomber plane Height: 3.4 meters Length: 9.02 meters Width: 9.92 meters (wing span) Weight: 2700 kg empty weight Pilot(s): 1 Needed Prerequisite for Use: Single pilot, ammunition, fuel, training, and a runway with an optimal distance to take off Used By: Luftwaffe, Post-War most Bf 109s were found and captured by the Allies for evaluation Powered By: 1 × Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engine 1,475 PS (1,455 hp; 1,085 kW) Operational Timeframe: Several hours Attack Potency: Street level+ with 1 shot from a machine gun, Wall level with a cannon, Small Building level with rockets, up to Building level+ with bombs Range: (Effective range) Up to 1,800 m for MG 131 machine guns, up to 800 m for MG 131 cannons, up to 1,200 m for Wfr. Gr. 21 rockets. The plane itself has a service ceiling of 12,000 m for dropping bombs. Speed: Subsonic flight speed (520 km/h, 144.44 m/s or Mach 0.42) at sea level, Subsonic+ flight speed (640 km/h, 177.78 m/s or Mach 0.52) at 6,300 m above sea level Terrain: Air Material: Aluminum Durability: Wall level (Can tank a few shots of MG 151/20 cannon fire before going down) Weaknesses: Typical aircraft weakness. Standard Weaponry: * 2 × 13 mm (.51 in) synchronized MG 131 machine guns ** Shoots bullets at a projectile mass of 34 gram, a bullet speed of 750 m/s, and a firing rate of 900 rounds per minute (Theoretical kinetic energy of about 9,562.50 Joules) * 1 × 20 mm (.78 in) MG 151/20 cannon as centerline Motorkanone ** Shoots bullets at a projectile mass of about 115 gram, a bullet speed of 705 m/s, and a firing rate of 750 rounds per minute (Theoretical kinetic energy of about 28,578.94 Joules) * 2 × 21 cm (8 in) Wfr. Gr. 21 rockets (G-6 with BR21) ** Rocket flies at 320 m/s with a yield of 170,707,200 Joules (0.0408 ton of TNT) and a blast radius of 30 meters Additional Weaponry: * 1 × 250 kg (551 lb) bomb or 4 × 50 kg (110 lb) bombs or 1 × 300-litre (79 US gal) drop tank ** (Theoretical yield of) 1,046,000,000 Joules (250 kg TNT) OR 4 x 209,200,000 Joules (4 x 50 kg TNT) OR up to 7,590,000,000 J (up to 1.81 tons TNT equivalent) Category:Real World Category:Aircraft Category:Vehicles Category:Machines Category:Glass Cannons Category:Inanimate Objects Category:Tier 9 Category:Tier 8 Category:Weapons